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The president of the South African Football Association (Safa), Danny Jordaan, says that referees work in a high-pressure environment and there is an urgent need to professionalize them in the country.
Jordaan shared these views Thursday afternoon after MultiChoice Group announced a five-year sponsorship agreement with Safa to support the more than 40,000 referees under the parent body of sport as part of Project Equity.
“One thing that’s happening in football is that when you go to a PSL game, there are professional players, professional coaches and the only fan on the field is actually the referee,” Jordaan said.
“Because of the video assistant referee (VAR), because of developments in how matches are broadcast with frame-by-frame replays, it means that the referee is under more scrutiny than the players.”
Jordaan said the professionalization of the industry will ensure that umpires are duly financially rewarded like their counterparts in some of the best leagues in the world.
“His training should improve and the rewards for the referee should improve, in fact the whole environment should move very close to being a full professional,” he said.
“It is something that is on the table that we must discuss. At the moment, the referees receive around 24,000 rand a month and in England it is much more”, but also the relationship between the rand and the pound must be considered.
“It’s a discussion that we’ll have to make sure the umpires are rewarded for the pressure in this job. It’s a high-pressure job and we appreciate it.”
MultiChoice Group CEO Calvo Mawela was pleased with the partnership announcement.
“We are pleased to be involved in what we believe is a monumental victory for South African football‚ which will really elevate match refereeing at all levels ‚from grassroots to the DStv Premiership and beyond‚ ultimately allow the best talent local participate in a global stage, ”he said.
“The partnership between MultiChoice and SAFA is critical as it enables us to fulfill our development mandate which is key to improving the quality of soccer referees, sustainably fueling the talent flow of soccer officials.”
“We are proud to continue to make significant strides in inclusion, while also growing women’s football,” Jordaan concluded.
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